Neighbourhood Profile: OLiV Saskatoon

MEET THE BUSINESS

The collective mission of the OLiV Team is to provide you with the “Wow” experience while helping you eat healthier, better and more naturally. Their complete line of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and true Balsamic Vinegar are all natural products and serve as an example of their commitment to you.

Fun Fact:

OLiV regularly hosts private tasting events and dinners such as an upcoming Black Tie Dinner for the Saskatoon Pride Festival. Each event has a different theme and matching decor — all put together by Heila herself!

MEET THE STAFF

Full Name: Heila Rheeder (Owner) and Joe Jackson (Manager)

Business Started in: OLiV International was started in 2011; Heila, and her husband Nico, took over ownership of OLiV Saskatoon in late 2017.

What makes OLiV Saskatoon unique?

Heila – We love our customers and treat them all like our family. Our customers are fantastic! We also love to educate them about products so that they can truly enjoy our products, learn how to prepare food with them, and be able to identify good olive oil.

Favourite part of your job?

Heila – Bringing my ideas and designs to life with the events we throw. I love to entertain, spoil people — make them feel special! The quality of our products also makes it so easy. I love the team we’ve put together too — we get along really well!

Something in your job that challenges you:

Heila – I think just the initial part of getting people in the store. Once they’re here, we love to talk about our products with them — and they love that! After that, they know how to use our products and they definitely love to come back.

What are some of your favourite OLiV products:

Heila – Definitely the Cask 18, it’s like the new ketchup. You can put this on everything. Also, the Italian Herb is very versatile — you can never go wrong with it!

Neighbourhood Love – One spot on Broadway that you love to go to and why:

Heila – We love Steep Hill — their products are all organic and that matches up with our beliefs. We also get a lot of catering from Calories for our events. And, also we love the food at Yard and Flagon down the street.